So Important
by fukuji mihoko
Summary: For reasons Keiichi can't quite fathom, Rika is important to him. She always has been. [vague Keiichi/Rika]


**So Important**

* * *

><p>"Hey! Check this out, Mion! The joke's on <em>you<em>!"

With a loud, triumphant thud, Maebara Keiichi slammed his schoolbag down onto Mion's desk. The desk creaked in protest under the sudden pressure, seeming almost ready to collapse.

Just how long had those desks been in the small, secluded Hinamizawa school, anyway? The wood had been bleached white by the sunlight streaming in through the open window; their surfaces marred with scratches, blotches of ink, messages students from previous generations had hewn into the wood with the blunted points of their compasses.

Maybe these desks were even older than Keiichi's parents – no, his _grandparents_; genuine antiques that could have been displayed behind glass cases in a museum.

…Then again, maybe not. Maybe he was being melodramatic.

Sonozaki Mion, seated at her desk, one leg folded over the folded, blinked up at Keiichi, frowning.

"What? Are you seriously telling me you made enough lunches for all of us?"

"That's right! Just like you told me!"

"_You_? The same Maebara Keiichi who didn't even know the proper way to hold a knife in home ec class? The same Maebara Keiichi who doesn't even know you have to wash rice before you cook it, or that boiling water can cause burns, or how to cut an onion without crying?"

"H-hey!" Keiichi stabbed a finger in Mion's direction. "I _do_ know boiling water can cause burns – even a baby knows that much!"

"Hohoho~"

With that rowdy little laugh that made Keiichi both want to bonk her over the head and pinch her cheeks between his fingers (maybe Rena was rubbing off on him), Satoko sidled up to Keiichi's side – no doubt lured by promise of some prime-time Keiichi-baiting.

"If you know that boiling water burns, genius, then why did you pour it all over yourself last week?~"

"I-I didn't pour it, I knocked it. I knocked it because _you _bumped into me!"

"Oh?" A cat-like smile, shaped like a three, spread across Satoko's impish face. "So you're trying to blame me for your follies, are you? Me, a demure, innocent little lady?"

Mion grinned. "Blaming women for your problems is such a cowardly move, Kei-chan. I expected better of you."

"B-but it… It really _was _your fault! Don't try to shift the blame onto me!"

"My, my~ I have no idea what you're talking about. Hohohoh!"

"Y-you two…"

Keiichi's brow twitched.

Although he was happy he had managed to make such good friends in such a short space of time, given he had only been living in Hinamizawa a month… did they really have to be so noisy?

Sometimes, he wondered whether Satoko and Mion's only pleasure was causing him pain and suffering. Sadists, they were all sadists! And he'd always thought country girls, born and bred amongst the rolling hills, verdant glass and blooming flowers, would be warm and soft; filled with smiles and sunshine, like fairies. Ideal housewife material.

He had never been more wrong in his life.

Mion and Satoko weren't fairies. They were demons. _Demons_.

Still… Keiichi enjoyed talking to them, and he wouldn't have had it any other way – even if this (slightly worrying) admission did make him sound somewhat masochistic…

"If you're going to be like that, then fine! I won't share the lunch I made with you! How about that?"

"Oh, come on Kei-chaaan~" said Mion, her voice wheedling. "Don't be like that. We were just having some fun."

"I don't know if I like your idea of 'fun'. I only made these lunches because you told me to, after all."

Keiichi shuddered at the memory. If only he hadn't lost that hand of old maid yesterday… If only, if only…

It was one of the biggest regrets he had in his life.

When Mion had announced his punishment game, a devilish spark in her eyes, Keiichi had been prepared for the worst; his whole body tensed, as though expecting to be slapped.

Her actual punishment, however… had sounded rather light – especially in comparison to some of Mion's other, more _inventive_ punishment games. At least this one didn't involve a maid dress, or gym bloomers.

"I want you… to make lunch for all of us tomorrow! How does that sound?!"

It had sounded fine. In fact, so relieved his punishment had been a light one, Keiichi had actually sighed; thanking God, his lucky stars, his horoscope, or whatever else it might have been, for this divine(?) intervention.

And so, foolishly, his ill-founded feeling of relief gave way to arrogant pride… and he had countered, with as much enthusiasm as possible:

"Ha! That sounds easy! Bring it on!"

…Unfortunately, Keiichi had never realised, until that moment, just how hard cooking really could be.

It had given him a newfound respect for his mother. She always made it look so simple – preparing breakfast, his school lunch, and then his evening meal without ever complaining.

How could his mother manage it all, day in day out, for almost twenty years? She must have been superhuman. A real hero.

"Ooh. Is this the lunch Kei-chan made? Is it, is it?"

A familiar head of orange hair bobbed over to the congregation forming around Mion's desk. It was, of course, Rena; her hands clasped together at her front, a small smile on her face.

"Y-yeah, that's right. It's the lunch I made. I tried hard on it," said Keiichi, puffing out his chest.

"Yay~ Then I'm sure it will taste delicious."

Rena smiled, clapping her hands together.

Something about Rena always made Keiichi smile. Maybe it was her enthusiasm. She always tried her hardest, in everything – and could get incredibly excited about the simplest of things. Being by her side was invigorating – just like eating three bowls of rice in the morning.

"I was thinking about it all day. I got hungry, so my stomach started to rumble in class, hehe~" Rena giggled.

"Don't let yourself get carried away," said Satoko, smirking. "I bet Kei-chan's meal will be a total letdown. You shouldn't expect too much from a useless guy who gets his mother to make all his meals!"

"Hey, you little squirt! Don't act so cocky! You always get Rika to make your food, don't you?"

"N-not exactly!" Satoko countered, hands balled into fists, suddenly flushed. "I help out, too! I wash and peel all the vegetables – which is more than can be said for you!"

"So you say, but… Fufu…"

Keiichi laughed, one hand held underneath his chin.

"Just you wait. I'll show you, Satoko. I'll show all of you!"

"What are you going to show us? I bet it'll be a total tragedy! A charcoal-black graveyard where hopes and dreams go to die!"

Satoko eyed Keiichi's schoolbag, lying innocently on Mion's desk, with trepidation. Satoko herself was not the best at cooking, but she had seen Keiichi in home ec, with his fumbling fingers and vague guesstimates whenever he had to measure out precise amounts of flour, butter, sugar, and knew he was even worse than she was.

At least it might be good for a laugh, if nothing else…

"Mii…"

The final member of the party of five, Rika, finally piped up; a smile on her face, which seemed to belong to somebody far older than her little body suggested.

"If you think it will be that bad, Satoko, do you want me to get some tissues?"

"Tissues?" Keiichi frowned. "Why would you need tissues, Rika?"

"To mop up any tears~ It never hurts to be prepared~"

"Ah… Ahaha…" Keiichi laughed awkwardly, rubbing his hand against the back of his head. "Even _you're _saying that, Rika? That stings…"

Rika smiled, pleasant as always, and gave Keiichi a small bow; her long, dark hair falling before her shoulders.

Her hair really was pretty, wasn't it? It framed her pale face, offsetting her deep, purple eyes. Coupled with that pale skin and those slender limbs, Keiichi could tell – his 'hot girl' radar was tingling – that she was going to grow up to be a real beauty.

Maybe that was why being insulted by Rika – even though it was in a roundabout way – stung so much…

"I apologise. I was just trying to show some tact." Rika curled her hands up into cat paws, tipping her head to one side. The smile on her face could have melted butter, it was so adorable. "Nipah~"

Still, Keiichi winced; staggering backwards, as though he had been hit in the stomach with a cannonball.

"Your tact wounds me. Those kinds of comments hurt– especially when coming from such a cute girl…"

"Mii…? You think I am cute?" A pause. "Well… I'm flattered."

"Of course she's cute! And Rika looks even cuter today!~ Waaah, I just want to eat her up!~" Rena squealed, cupping her cheeks with both hands.

"Oi." Keiichi delivered a light chop to the top of Rena's head. "I thought you were going to eat my lunch, not Rika. My lunch will be much more nutritious."

"That's right. Regretfully… I am rather small, and there wouldn't be much of me to go around. Too many little bones. They can be quite pesky."

"Hau… Alright then~ But I want to whisk Rika away for desert!~"

"…You should be careful with what you say, Rena," said Mion. "Some day, that 'abduct anything that's cute' attitude is going to get you arrested."

"Ah~ If I got arrested for something like this, though… I think it would be worth it~ Could there be any more noble pursuit?~ Hao hao~"

"Heh… You're starting to sound like Doctor Irie," said Satoko.

Mion nodded. "Maybe they could be related. They have a similar worldview, I think…"

Satoko shuddered. "A _dangerous _one."

"Dangerous? Me?" Rena pointed towards herself, blinking. "No, that isn't true! I just love cute things!~ Hao~"

"Heh. Well, I guess she's got her priorities in order. There is nothing more honourable in this world than dying on behalf of a cute girl!"

Keiichi grinned, giving Rena a thumbs up. Rena returned it, giggling.

"Those two…" Satoko rolled her eyes. "Don't argue over Rika like that, you hear me?! She's _my _best friend!"

"Ehehe… I don't mind the attention. I think it's flattering~" Rika said judiciously, pressing her hands together at her front, almost like a little angel.

"Y-you are?"

"Yes! I'm sure anything made by you, Keiichi, will taste delicious! You always do your best, after all!"

Wah… So cute…

Rika was so cute, Keiichi wanted to pick her up and hug her.

"R-Rika…" Keiichi sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his arms. "Y-you… You really are a good girl after all… I'm sorry I ever doubted you, a-and thank you so much…!"

Rika giggled. Getting up onto the tips of her feet, she reached one arm forwards, giving Keiichi a light pat on the head.

"That's okay~ You deserve it!"

"I-I do?"

"Of course."

Pat, pat, pat.

"Mii… Maybe I should get those tissues after all…"

* * *

><p>Of course, contrary to Rika's conscientious words… Keiichi's lunches, prepared by his own two hands, were not delicious. They were not delicious at all.<p>

In fact, they were the exact _opposite _of the world.

Even though Keiichi had tried to hard, sweating over those meals long into the night (not literally, of course – that would have been gross), it simply wasn't good enough. Not when his food could be compared to the likes of Rena's, whose lunchboxes were more beautifully composed than Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Truly, Rena's lunches were in a different class of their own – genuine works of art.

All of Keiichi's vegetables were sloppily cut, the chicken overcooked, and even the rice was wrong – far too hard, obviously not boiled for long enough. The balance of colours wasn't right, and the presentation was sloppy. Some bits were over seasoned, some bits weren't seasoned enough, and some parts were just plain inedible.

Cooking… really was a lot harder than it looked…

There were a lot of things to consider. Getting just one element wrong could ruin the whole meal – and Keiichi had made more mistakes than he had fingers and toes.

Useless… It was all useless…

Keiichi slumped over his desk in defeat, arms dangling uselessly over the sides. The harsh evaluation from Satoko and Mion had been expected, but even Rena? That had been cruel.

Although Rena had tried to be nice, sugar-coating her words with enough saccharine sweetness to induce diabetes, it had somehow made it all seem worse – like she was that kind teacher you always wanted to impress, but inevitably ended up disappointing.

And Keiichi had thought he'd nailed it, too. He'd been so confident…

All those cuts on his hands, the plasters on his fingers, and that red burn the size of a coin in the palm of his right hand… had it all been for nothing?

He felt so dejected he could cry.

"Keiichi? Keiichi?

"Aah?"

Keiichi blinked, lifting his head. There was a light pressure running through his hair; stroking against him softly, as though he were a cat.

He blinked blearily, searching for the source of this much-wanted reassurance.

It was Rika.

"What do you want, Rika-chan?" asked Keiichi, letting his head fall back onto his desk. "Did you come to gloat, too?"

"Gloat…? That's mean. I came to comfort you."

"Comfort me?"

"Mii~"

"But why…?" A pause. "Satoko didn't send you, did she? She doesn't have an insulting message to relay, right?"

"…No. I came because I wanted to."

As Rika stood there, the sunlight streaming in through the open window lit up the back of her head, making her hair shimmer like a halo. All she needed was a pair of wings, and the seraphic look would be truly completed.

"But… B-but why…?" asked Keiichi, unbelieving.

"Because I don't believe in kicking cute kitties when they are already down. It seems mean. We should try to treat the kitty with love and respect – especially when he tried so hard. There, there~"

Pat, pat.

Although her tone was gentle, Keiichi couldn't help but feel like Rika was being condescending. Even so… the patting of his head did feel nice; soothing. He couldn't bring himself to care all that much.

"I know you tried your hardest, Keiichi. You always do. That's why I like you."

"Even though my lunch tasted awful?"

"Even so. It was a nice kind of awful. Comforting. It made me smile – because it was so very much like you. Hehe~"

"You mean, I'm like my lunch? All charred and blackened, completely inedible?"

"Mii… I don't know about the 'inedible' part. I would not want to eat you. But…" Rika drew her hands away from Keiichi's head, holding them together at her front. "I know that you try hard – even though it does not always work out. I can tell, by all the cuts and bandages on your hands. It looks painful…"

"Ah…"

His masculine pride wounded by this observation – even if it was only Rika who had pointed it out – Keiichi's face started to flush. He hid his hands underneath the table, turning his head away.

He had slaved hard over those lunches, and they had still turned out dreadfully. How embarrassing…

"I-it… It's nothing really…!"

"Mii… You say that, but… I know. I can tell. You're always trying your best, no matter what it seems on the outside. And I relate to it."

"Y-you do?"

"…Yeah. Since I'm always trying, too. Let's both try our best together, okay?~"

Keiichi didn't really understand what Rika was getting at. Was she talking about her duties as a shrine maiden? Maybe it was in relation to the Watanagashi festival, which was coming up soon.

Didn't Satoko say she was doing some kind of performance, all on her own? It sounded like a lot of work for such a young girl. According to Satoko, she had been practising for this festival tirelessly, every day after school until she started to sweat and her fringe matted against her forehead – although she showed no sign of this exertion when she turned up for school the next day.

That was probably it. That must have been it, right?

But…

When Keiichi looked into Rika's eyes, he couldn't help but feel… like he could see something; something hidden inside those purple irises. Something that seemed slightly out of place for such a sweet little girl – something that spoke of an age far greater than her own.

But, in an instant, Keiichi blinked… this strange glint vanished; disappearing without a trace, as though it had never been there.

Keiichi frowned. Was it just his imagination…?

He must have been tired. All that light-night cooking had taken its toll, on more than just his poor hands.

"Mii… Are you alright?"

Rika tipped her head to one side, frowning.

"Ah…"

Keiichi blinked, trying to expel whatever strange vision he'd witnessed before. With a groan, a creak of his desk, he pushed himself upright; turning to face Rika with a smile he hoped was comforting.

He didn't want to worry Rika. Not when she was trying hard on his behalf. Not when she wanted to cheer him up.

"I'm fine, never finer!~ Since I'm a man, I just need to jump over these hurdles that life throws at me, right? It's no big deal!"

"That's right…! You can do it! Nipah~"

"Yeah! With your 'nipah' power, Rika, I can definitely do it!"

Whatever 'it' was. Did he mean making a suitable lunch for his friends, which they wouldn't scorn or turn their noises up at? Or was it something else…?

Who knew? Not Keiichi. All he did know was, Rika was with him, and she was his friend – and he would not have traded her company for all the world.

There was something special about that girl – something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he knew it was there all the same. She was important.

"You know… I really am glad I met you, Rika-chan."

"Mii…" Rika smiled, strangely shy, her lashes trembling. "And I am glad I met you too, Keiichi. You give me hope."

"Hope…?"

"Yes." Rika smiled enigmatically, her expression strangely sad for a few moments – just like a flower being pelted by the rain. "More than you could ever know."

* * *

><p><strong>an: **A Christmas present for **earceus **on tumblr. I hope they like it?  
>The title is taken from a Sparks song with the same name. Of course it is XD<p> 


End file.
